Ten out of 10 for the eye-catching red, black and white ensemble chaps but all that stick-prodding, knee-bending, stop-start stretches weren't going to cut it, either.
The stakes were raised. New Zealand Cricket first, the ground security officers next and, perhaps, the Napier City Council to wrap it up, although the latter was a no show.
Yes, sick and tired of having everyone push them around The People decided to become protagonists at the park.
The huffs and puffs were akin to smoking E-Cigarettes but, despite the health benefits, they were no substitute for the real deal - a nicotine fix.
Never has there ever been a more resounding reminder that the lowest common denominator in any sport is, and always will be, people.
Individuals from different walks of life - regardless of their religion, gender, ethnicity, occupation, social standing or political beliefs - made it abundantly clear at McLean Park, Napier, last Thursday that they share a sense of conventional conviction.
The awkward truth is sport is their domain and the stakeholders will take ownership if and when the need arises.
Sure, the municipal fathers own the international venue but the people, who translate to ratepayers, will always hold them accountable for the way it is groomed, used and maintained.
NZ Cricket and its offspring, Central Districts Cricket, are merely custodians of the country's No 1 sport in summer.
They can dictate what type of alcohol one can consume and what fast-food brands are permitted inside the ground but, ultimately, the great unwashed will have the final say.
Using strong-arm tactics, such as security officers, are understandable to ensure there's some sort of law and order but when they mutate into fun police to stop a Mexican Wave, an activity fans fall back on to break the shackles of boredom, then it's time for the turnstile terrorists to take matters in their own hands.
The fire or burglar alarms were set off and an unruly mob, out numbering the four badges in the arena, took over the wicket.
Was it a case of opportunists making mischief or a telltale sign that the common thread which holds a sporting community together is starting to fray at the seams?
It boggles the mind what may have transpired had it had turned into a relative sort of Storming of the Bastille, the uprising against the symbol of a monarchy's rule, but there's something seductive about collectivism at the height of a crisis.
In the past few days I came across myriad people asking me if McLean Park will lose its status as an international cricketing venue after the abandonment of last Thursday's match due to a waterlogged outfield despite a sunny outlook following some morning drizzle.
Their consternation is understandable considering the Gabba, Eden Gardens and the Lords don't just sprout overnight to become lexical landmarks.
The she'll-be-fine backyard mentality has to give way to investment of resources and a sense of awareness to achieve and maintain a part of a region's heritage.
Some scribes have whipped up a frenzy about shifting the ODI against South Africa on March 1 to another venue amid a blame game that points a finger at anyone from overpaid players to sprinkler negligence and even the inconspicuous aquatic intruder, the water table, which supposedly disrupts drainage when the tide is high at the nearby Marine Parade.
Two abandonments in four years, due to matters pertaining to drainage, are hardly a yardstick of failure.
Myopic, maybe. Even naive in the way some here may view such a valuable asset in the province but it certainly doesn't warrant isolation.
The cricket-loving masses, not just in the Bay but all those who travel from nearby areas such as Taupo, Manawatu, Gisborne and even Wellington for an extended holiday, should not be punished for a few who have erred on the side of complacency.
NZ Cricket's stance of waiting for a report before jumping to any conclusions is pragmatic and commendable.
It is an organisation that will weigh up factors such as the region's reliable weather, history and power base as a headquarters of a major association before lifting its finger at the corporate crease.
NZ Cricket, more than any party, knows how imperative it is to play the loyalty card in appreciating what is, after all, the people's theatre.
Taking punitive action against the McLean Park faithful will be tantamount to double jeopardy.
